Brrrrrr [Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος]

When I showered earlier, the water felt scalding hot on my hands, but barely lukewarm on my shoulders and back. So my hands must have been very cold. (I was wearing a fuzzy sleeper and slippers until then, but my fingers were exposed on the keyboard.) It took most of a ten minute shower for the sensation to balance out again. Probably not good.

Later, noticing how cold I was feeling again, I found a thermometer ... 283 K (10 C (something chilly F (50 F, okay?))). Hmm. A smidgen more than a quarter of a tank of heating oil left. Hmm. 10 C. Hmm. Guess it's time to burn a little of my precious oil. Half an hour later, it's three Kelvins warmer (55 F) and feels a lot more comfortable. Turn off furnace, note that I've used less than a sixteenth of a tank in that half hour. *whew* It's going to be an interesting month.

But my house has developed a new trick that I forgot to write about a week or so ago. When the pressure gauge on the furnace gets up to forty pounds (I presume that's actually PSI but it just says "pounds"), a valve opens and splashes water on the top of the furnace and the basement floor. :-( And the rest of the time it just drips a little. I've put a bucket under it (fortunately the top of the furnace does not seem to get hot enough to melt the bucket), and since I'm only running the thing in really short bursts anyhow, I just empty the bucket before I turn it on. But it worries me, of course. Is the valve supposed to open at 40 pounds, and some mysterious glitch is causing the furnace to build up more pressure than normal? Or is the valve opening too early, having gotten old and weak? Argh. And I'm pretty sure my service contract isn't in force any more since I wasn't able to pay last winter's last oil bill and they're sending lawyers after me for it.

(I'd been told not to let the service contract lapse. If I'd had a choice, I wouldn't have. I've just never had enough money to pay that bill. Well, if I'd realized a bit sooner that I wasn't going to be able to keep paying my HMO premium either, I could've used a couple months of that to pay the oil company ... ah, hindsight. I'm not sure how old the furnace is; I'm pretty sure it's not as old as the rest of the house (1867), but is old enough to have originally burned coal. I wonder how long ago it was converted to oil.)

So I'll take advantage of the warmth (yeah, I'm calling 286 K warm -- doesn't it sound so much warmer in Kelvins? -- because I can actually feel my fingers and I can unclench my jaw), to post a bit and answer some email, then go hide under blankets as the house continues to cool and worry about getting dressed in the cold in the morning when the morning arrives. (Maybe I should take my clothes into the bathroom to get dressed. I put an electric heater in there 'cause it's hard to shower under a blanket. I've got a convection heater I can use in the bedroom if I ever clear enough random stuff out of the bedroom to have a safe amount of space around the heater. Until then, lots of blankets and occasionally the cat next to my toes.)

By next winter I really must have the fireplace useable. Need to come up with money for chimney cleaning (and probably re-lining) and useful fireplace hardware so that the thing actually heats the house instead of just looking pretty and sending heat up the chimney. Hey, by then the tree that fell on Sheepie's house should be dried out enough to burn nicely, right?

January

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
1 1	2 1	3 1	4 1	5 1	6 1	7 1
8 1	9 1	10 1	11 1	12 1	13 1	14 1
15 1	16 1	17 1	18 1	19 1	20 1	21 1
22 1	23 1	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

My roommate, Patrick, says that the reason for the water splashing when it's at 40 PSI is that the expansion tank is waterlogged. He says to drain that and let it fill with air. It's usually a 5 gallon tank or smaller hanging from the ceiling - often green in color. He said the same thing used to happen in his grandparents home.

damnit, clean the bedroom out so you can use the convection heater!!

Best of luck staying warm..

how much is oil?

[link] [reply]

I'm paying $1.49/gallon. The price went from $1.79 to $1.39 over Thanksgiving when GW Bush made his little surprise visit to Iraq. A standard home tank holds 200 gallons.

[link] [parent] [reply]

Uh, there's something five feet long and a foot in diameter hanging from the ceiling, at the end of a pipe that tees off the big pipe from the top of the furnace, with a drain valve at one end. I presume that's the expansion tank?

(So I guess I shut off the valve leading into it, drain it into a bucket, then re-open that first valve? Or should there be no water entering it with the furnace turned off regardless of the first valve?)

Clearing enough space in that bedroom will require removing a dresser and a small bookcase, or a couple of cardboard wardrobe boxes I'm using as a closet. (That's the green room, where Perrine can sleep with me. It'll be easier to clear space in the blue room, but that's the "cat dander free in case my allergies act up or an allergic guest comes over" bedroom. I might use the blue room anyhow though, if the house gets uncomfortable enough.)

I'd have to look up the current price of oil, but it's probably reasonably close to what

anusara is paying, probably a little more. If I can squeak through January and the first week of February using it only for half an hour or so on the coldest days, I should be okay after that. But the rest of January does have me nervous.

So I guess I shut off the valve leading into it, drain it into a bucket, then re-open that first valve?

He said Yes, that's right.

Yeah, I'd say use the blue room if it's cold nuff! Get one room safe for using the extra heater.

Suggest you take up a collection of money for heating oil. I'm pretty broke myself, but I'd contribute a bit for that to help out.

Oooookay ... I was expecting some sympathy, but not a quick and easy answer to the spurting regulator problem in the wee hours just after posting. Wow. Thanks. (Actually, I wasn't expecting it to be a problem with a quick or easy solution at all, so it's a triple win.) I've got the expansion tank about half drained -- that's when my elbow complained about holding the bucket, so I'll finish in the morning. I'll see whether I can fit the stepladder back there to rest the bucket on, or find a hose to attach.

That size/shape steel tank makes an entertaining noise when each air bubble sploings its way in. Maybe I should tape a piezo pickup to it before I resume, and record it just in case I ever need that sound for something. (It made Perrine's eyes get really big.) I kept thinking there had to be a "let the air in faster" valve someplace that I was overlooking. Haven't found one though.

If I make the blue room safe for the heater, I'll have a comfortable place to dress (and that's also where the Mac is), and unless the weather gets extreme or I get sick, I have enough blankets to still sleep in the green room, as long as I can pry myself out of the bed on cold mornings. Worst case I can retreat to the blue room and trust Perrine to figure out she can hide out in the bathroom if she's cold too.

Still working up to the "take up a collection" thing. Not opposed in principle to asking for help; I'm just really bad at convincing myself to do so.

Really relieved at the simple answer to the furnace problem.

Here's a little secret: diesel fuel is very similar to heating oil, can be burned in an oil furnace, and can be purchased without first paying off the debt to the oil company. Farm diesel (no road tax) is often cheaper than heating oil. (of course, you do have to haul the stuff home in gas cans)

So far this year, I've decreased my Oil consumption by 30% primarily by insulating the radiator pipes in the basement. (The original insulation allegedly disintigrated) I'm also keeping the upstairs colder by hanging a blanket in the stairwell and I bought some new heaters that more efficiently convert electrical energy to heat energy. I have some spare at the moment if you want to borrow them, Glenn. They need to be wall mounted and at 425 watts, they should cost no more than $20/month if you leave them on 24 hours each day. I also have some fireplace hardware you can borrow.

Does anyone know if it is unsafe or inadvisable to insulate the exhaust pipe for an oil burner (the pipes get so hot they nearly burn your fingers)? And if it is safe, would it increase fuel efficiency? I figure that the exhaust will leave via the pipe and insulating the pipe may keep the temp inside the oil burner higher...or maybe not. I'm just so pleased with the insulation, I want to insulate more and more.

Thanks for mentioning the blanket -- I've been meaning to hang a blanket in the bathroom doorway to hold the heat in there but still allow Perrine access to the litter box. (I've been keeping the bathroom door ajar with a cat-sized opening, and it still keeps enough of the heat in for the bathroom to e warnmer enough to help.)

Are those electric heaters baseboard style, or something else I'm not familiar with? Getting juice to them might be interesting in this house, but I think I can dig up at least one heavy-duty extension cord not already running computers.

I'm not sure of the effects of insulating the exhaust of the furnace ... I think all that would happen is that heat formerly split between going out the pipe radiating from the pipe walls into the basement would all go out the pipe. I'm not sure the temperature inside the furnace would change much. But I'm not the thermodynamics person.

The heaters are at http://www.econo-heat.com
I made a bulk order and got a double-discount because they had run out of them (nice folks - 20% discount). I got them to heat the upstairs - there's no radiator in my bedroom and I don't want to use my precious oil to heat the upstairs. I'm fixing up the other bedrooms in the house so I can get some housemates. Then maybe I can afford my oil bill (and the mortgage payment on my house in Peoria that won't sell). So I'll want them back when (if?) I get the housemates.

So far the heaters seem to work well. The colder the room, the more it seems to heat - which sounds dumb, but - you see - there's no thermostat. They are just 2' square panels that heat up and I mounted mine at torso height so if I get cold I just snuggle up to them. You can touch them (no coils or anything, just a flat surface) - so they are kid- and pet-safe. You can mount them whereever you please, yet it is not reccommended to mount them near water (even though they are nominally waterproof) and it is reccommended to mount them away from furniture and a couple inches away from wood molding. Not reccommended for mounting over paneling. Wallpaper may warp or come off if you mount it over wallpaper, but so far I've had no problem. You'll need a drill and maybe someone to help hold it for installation - I used a table, but it was darn tricky. Booey the dog is _still_ working on that opposable thumb, yet has given up on bipedality, so he's only helpful for moral support. I suppose you could just prop it up against them wall and it would work just as well. It seems to convect air between the wall and the unit (no fan) since the colder the room, the more of a little breeze there seems to be behind it.

I'll see John & Trixie this weekend and can leave them with them if you want to go for it. Or, better yet, you can come to fiddle club on Sunday! It's in VA, I'll be carpooling with John - leaving Booey at their house.

In the USA the econoheat link for the heaters is
http://www.eheat.us

You CAN insulate it with fiberglass, but just to prevent touching it.. It will NOT increase the fuel efficiency or heat your place better. You can get some fins of some type (radiation fin kit) to radiate some heat off of the exhaust pipes and get more heat out of it that way.

one caveat about the heat fin thing. If you put on too many heat fins, they will rob your smoke of the heat it needs to climb up your chimney. This is bad. OTOH heat fins *will* make your heating system more efficient, albeit only in the places that the chimney runs through. I don't know how many heat fins you can put on safely but hopefully this information exists somewhere out on the net and you will almost certainly have to be able to take the temperature of the smoke at the top of your stack to make use of this info.

I dont know if you know this so here it is
if there where leave (green) on the tree leave the tree until the turn brown. Then the wood needs to be cut and split and put someplace dry with a breeze for 3-9 months
Angie

I knew it was something like that, but I didn't know details. I've never dealt with firewood before.

The tree in question fell during hurricane Isabel. So, assuming I manage to get it split at the right time (and somebody who can get it out of Sheepie's way faster doesn't claim it first), next winter would be more than nine months.

I spent my pre-teen and teen years in a house heated only by woodstoves, with no hot water heater (we kept metal buckets on the stoves for baths).

Wood can be burned any time, but green wood burns colder due to water in it. It also junks up your chimney with creosote much faster, not a plus. If you live in an area with lots of older wooden houses near each other, you should absolutely install a real or makeshift spark arrestor in the chimney, ie a metal mesh that has a decent chance of stopping sparks from flying up. Or get a catalytic converter box between the stove n the chimney, which will also burn off any spare creosote in the stove exhaust.

If you have the option of doing something unusual, there are plans on the net for nifty tile-type stoves that are designed to burn a small load of wood very hot, and store the heat in the mass of the stove. They can be built with inexpensive materials. The only catch is that they are heavy. If you could conceivably have a waterbed where you want the stove, you are fine though.

There are programs that pay heating bills for poor people. Find out if you're eligible.

How many rooms can you shut off - close the doors, close the heating vents, and forget about them until spring?

Closing off rooms doesn't help much in this house with regard to the main heat, but closing electric heaters in to heat individual important rooms works -- bedroom, office, bathroom (the kitchen can be heated quickly by choosing to cook something, though it sometimes helps to start by boiling a big pot of water just to warm the room a little before pulling out the ingredients and knives).

Not wanting to prevent Perrine from being able to get around the house puts a crimp in the "keep the doors to the warm rooms closed all the time" aproach this year. Considering curtains/blankets in the doorways.

The thing is, I can regulate airflow past the radiators a little, but not much, and I can't shut off water to individual radiators, so I'm heating all the rooms anyhow, closed or not, when I run the furnace. (And most of the doors and floors are leaky enough that no room is ever quite closed off anyhow.)

There's a program that gives reduced rates for energy for poor people in Maryland that they make it easy to find out how to donate to but harder to find out how to apply... Working on that. IIRC, it's not a huge amount, but would still help if I qualify.

You've probably already found this info, but I googled and got the Maryland Energy Assistance Program page: http://www.dhr.state.md.us/how/energy/meap.htm

It sounds like it means a trip down to a social services office, and a bunch of paperwork.

In the summertime, we have AC in our living room, but the living room doesn't have a closeable door so I got one of those spring tension rods and put it in the doorframe and took a lightweight blanket and safety pinned it to the rod (you could just use a curtain or even just a sheet, anything will help keep heat in one room and cold in the other.) I just close the curtain and it works to keep the cool in the room in the summer. We also don't have a guest bedroom, so when we have overnight guests they have to sleep on the sofa, it also provides a bit of privacy for them.
Spring tension rods work great for hanging a sheet or blanket (has to be sort of light weight since they don't support alot of weight) in a doorway.

We are just south of you in Riverdale and had a chimney lined and some pointing done about 2 years ago at a cost of about $200. We have a woodstove insert that we got used for under $200 16 years ago when we couldn't afford to replace our old coal-converted-to-oil boiler due to the fact that it was covered in asbestos. I sometimes see the stove inserts offered in the paper and at yard sales for anything from next to nothing to old songs, as they say. Keep an eye out.

You should keep in mind that heating with wood is WORK. Wood is heavy and needs to be stored outdoors which means frequent trips in and out. Ashes need to be reomved. Cutting splitting and hauling is very physical and purchased firewood is not cheep. Keeping a fire going for several days does result in a somewhat smokey house - a problem if you are having health problems that call for warmth AND clean air. I still love me woodstove, but you should balance physical limitations before you commit scarce resources and get into a position where wood is your only option.

btw, I am a former 3 left footer, so I don't feel like a COMPLETE stranger offering advice. Fred at any rate may remember Hedwig!

For various reasons, our kitchen is overheated, it also has both wired (10/100 base T) and wireless net. Come on over and soak up our heat? Anytime. Really.

If you are home today, Tangent can drop you off a back door key.

If you are feeling social, we can hang out, if not we can circle around each other.

Someday soon, if you'll let me, I'd like to talk about social services with you. I suspect you qualify for Catholic Charities' heating program, that your mom qualifies for weatherproofing programs, that you qualify for foodstamps, that you qualify for medical assistance.... and so forth.....

Applying for these things for myself was no fun. If I can help someone else with what I've learned from the experience then the experience is somewhat redeemed.

- Karen

ps - Tangent mentions we don't have dinner plans for tonight yet - do you like grilled mushrooms, pasta (fusilli) and pesto?

I think you have our phone numbers, but email me if you don't.

Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

Brrrrrr

(no subject)

Price of Oil

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

Heat Conservation

Re: Heat Conservation

Re: Heat Conservation

Re: Heat Conservation

Re: Heat Conservation

Re: Heat Conservation

wood

Re: wood

Re: wood

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

fireplace musings

(no subject)

Links

January